With a deep passion for helping children, I was called by God in 1998 and began my journey toward the life of an itinerant minister, a disciple of Jesus and an advocate for children throughout the world. I have been fortunate in my educational opportunities, with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Scripps College (1994), Masters of Divinity (2001) and Doctor of Ministry (2007) from Claremont School of Theology. I was ordained as an Elder in the California-Pacific Annual Conference in 2005.
Immediately following my graduation from CST, I began work as an Associate Pastor at Kailua UMC on the island of Oahu. After 3 years, I was appointed to be the pastor at Westchester UMC in Los Angeles. After formative trip with a Cal-Pac delegation to visit churches in Nigeria, I applied to be a missionary with the General Board of Global Ministries and was appointed in 2007 to be the pastor of an English-Speaking church in Hamburg, Germany. For five years, I served as a missionary in Hamburg, itinerating throughout Southern California and Hawaii and working to encourage churches to connect with GBGM missionaries. During my time in Hamburg, I was invited to visit a mission project in India and began fundraising efforts to support schools in rural India.
In 2012, I returned to Cal-Pac annual Conference and spent 4 years serving as the pastor at Kona UMC on the Big Island and working to develop my India Project into a 501(c)3 organization. In 2015, Friends of Padhar Schools was born and currently I am the the Executive Director with a Board of Directors who work to support education for children in India.
In January 2017, I took an interim appointment at Walnut UMC and it turned out to be a terrific match. For five years, we worked together to grow the congregation, then we adapted to virtual worship and finally settled into a hybrid worship schedule, with modified in-person worship and an online service. In December of 2021, I completed my ministry at Walnut UMC and rejoined the ranks of the GBGM missionaries, starting this new appointment as the pastor of La Siesta Evangelical Church.
I now live with my beloved dog Po in the La Siesta neighborhood of Torrevieja. We enjoy finding new parks and wilderness areas to explore, welcoming visitors to our home and working with such a warm community of disciples. We are indeed blessed with a wonderful church family and I look forward to discovering what God has in store for us!
Many blessings,
Pastora Krista
